Kenyan content has grown in great strides over the last few years. The emergence of video-streaming platforms such as YouTube have made it easier for content creators to find an online audience.
Some of the most-followed people on social media are known for their great content on their YouTube channels. Although the number of subscribers does not depict the accurate extent of viewership, it gives a clear picture of how wide their reach is.
While compiling the list, I noted that Kenyan musicians definitely attract a wider audience compared to the other content creators. Comedy is also a fast-seller, with characters such as Flaqo and Sammy Kioko commanding a huge followership.
Read: Google Terminates Flaqo’s YouTube Account
Below is a list of some of the top Kenyan musicians on YouTube
- Otile Brown- The singer who specializes in smooth R&B music, is the most followed musician with 823k subscribers. Otile is known for his strong vocals, consistency, and good command of Swahili. He has a number of collaborations with other musicians as well.
- Sauti Sol- The boy band comes in second with 765k subscribers. Sauti Sol comprises of Bien Aime, Chimano, Savara and PolyCarp. The quartet released their “Midnight Train” album in 2021 via a highly watched live stream on YouTube.
- Willy Paul- The youthful singer comes in at number three with 722k subscribers. Willy Paul started out doing Gospel Music but has since embraced secular tunes. His most recent song with fellow singer Size 8 highlights his conversion from Gospel to Secular.
- Bahati- The father of four has 722k subscribers on his channel. He also converted from Gospel to Secular music, although he maintains that his spiritual roots are deeply embedded. Bahati consistently churns out music and his songs have been trending on YouTube for about a month now.
- Khaligraph Jones- The self-proclaimed OG comes in fifth with 469k subscribers. Known for his lyrical prowess and spitting out rhymes faster than most people can spell their names, Khaligraph is a favourite to many rap-lovers.
- Nyashinski- Since his return from the US, Nyashinski has demonstrated that people can start over more than once. He has a following of 416K. Nyashinski does hip hop music and is a hit with the girls.
- Nadia Mukami- The self-proclaimed African Popstar commands respect for holding her own in a male-dominated industry. As you can note from this list, she is the only lady making an appearance on the top-ten with 367K subscribers on YouTube.
- King Kaka- Formerly known as Rabbit, King Kaka is arguably one of the most consistent hip hop musicians in Kenya. He is known for stirring controversy on Twitter especially after his “Wajinga sisi” hit last year. The song highlighted Kenyans’ folly in voting in the same corrupt politicians over and over. King Kaka currently has 306K subscribers
- Samidoh- The sensational Kikuyu musician has amassed 269k subscribers on his YouTube channel. The youthful singer trended this year due to baby-mama drama, after siring a child with Nairobi politician Karen Nyamu.
- Mejja- The popular Genge artist who is a darling to many takes the tenth position with 192K subscribers. He recently revealed that he suffered from depression after his wife of five years walked out on him.
Read also: YouTube Gears Up for Africa Day Concert with Impressive Performances Starting Today
Apart from Music, Kenyans also upload other interesting content on YouTube. Here are some of the top vloggers
- Churchill Show- The comedy show is aired on TV and on YouTube, and has amassed a massive 1.72 subscribers. Hosted by Daniel Ndambuki, the channel gives budding comedians a platform to showcase their talent.
- Henry Desagu- The Young comedian creates funny, interesting clips on YouTube and Instagram. He comes second with 579K subscribers.
- Eric Omondi- The self-proclaimed President of Comedy comes in third with 512K subscribers. He trended for the better part of the year after launching his “Wife Material” show. The show was punctuated with lewd scenes leading to a ban by KFCB Boss Ezekiel Mutua. It seems Eric abandoned the “Wife Material” project after the second season backfired again after one of the contestants became disorderly. He remains unmarried.
- Njugush- He is arguably one of the funniest comedians in the industry. He has a massive subscriber base of 509K. He regularly posts family content featuring his wife Celestine and son Tugi.
- Jalang’o- The content creator better known as Felix Odiwour hosts a talk show featuring influential personalities on his “Bonga Na Jalas” show. He has 469K subscribers and has hosted notable personalities including the Deputy President, William Ruto.
- Diana Marua- The wife to musician Bahati has an impressive subscriber base of 421K. Diana’s content is mostly family-related, focusing on her kids and husband.
- WaJesus Family- The youthful couple have drawn lots of love from their audience who can relate from their grass to grace image. They have a following of 421K and are known for their huge corporate appeal. They have partnered with lots of businesses who sponsor a big chunk of their lifestyle. The WaJesus’ boat was rocked this year after Kabi, the husband, admitted to siring a child with his cousin. He currently has an ongoing court case after the mother of child sued him for child support.
- Flaqo- 2020 was a good year for Flaqo, Azziad Nasenya and Elsa Majimbo. Flaqo’s unique comedy skits dominated the interwebs during the pandemic, making him an overnight sensation. He plays all the funny characters in his skits. Last year, Google dealt the young man a blow after deleting his YouTube account citing copyright claims. Luckily, he was able to prove ownership and now has 392K subscribers.
- Sammy Kioko- He grew his wings from the Churchill show and has managed to hold it down with 307K subscribers.
- The Murayas- The channel belongs to singer Size 8 and his husband DJ Mo. So far they have amassed 224K subscribers. The celebrity couple started their show with a focus on resolving marital issues, which they stage-managed from time to time. However, things took a turn when they encountered real-life marital issues after DJ Mo was exposed for having a long-standing affair with a lady in the middle East. The show’s content has since changed to lifestyle.
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